


Daddy's Home

by Aladin_Sane



Category: Baby Driver (2017)
Genre: Death Threats, Hurt/Comfort, Past Child Abuse, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 13:46:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11464833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aladin_Sane/pseuds/Aladin_Sane
Summary: Baby's dad never died in that car accident. Instead, he raised Baby on his own with an iron first and driven by anger. That is, until Baby testified against him in court.Now he's out on probation.





	Daddy's Home

**Author's Note:**

> Love love loved writing this fic! Another great request from Beth. 
> 
> I'm working through all the requests I've received and then I've got a few ideas I've been playing with in my own head so I'm not slowing down any time soon as long as all goes well. 
> 
> So if anyone has anything they wanna see in a story, full fic recommendations, or a background detail you wanna see worked in somehow, feel free to leave them in the comments.
> 
> Also these notes are kinda turning into my diary, which is probably killing the vibe of this dramatic and painful fic but oh well.

Darling shoved Baby's shoulder to get his attention. "Is everything alright, Baby?" she asked when he finally looked at her. The tone of her voice made it clear this wasn't the first time she'd asked. 

"Yes." 

He wanted to scream "NO! Everything is shit and I'm gonna die!" but he didn't. Instead he changed the song on his ipod for the third time in the last five minutes. Today was one of those days were he just couldn't sit through an entire song. 

"Baby, why don't you go get coffee?" Doc asked while he started to count the money from that day's job. 

Fear shot through Baby like a rocket. It was a full two blocks from the warehouse to the coffee shop. Two blocks were Baby would be completely on his own. The Harlem Shuffle was 2 minutes and 51 seconds long. In that time, anything could happen. 

He'd answered his burner two days ago, horrified when it wasn't Doc's voice on the other end. "Hey, Baby. How've you been?" Hearing that voice again made every bone in his body splinter from the tenseness in his muscles. 

"Dad?"

"How long's it been? 8 years?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"What're you up to these days?"

Baby didn't answer.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. You wanna know what I've been up to the past 8 years?" 

Still no answer.

"I've been remembering your arrogant little mug, sat up in the witness stand, making up lies about me to get me locked away. I've been dreaming up all the things I'm gonna do to make you regret what you did to me."

Baby decidedly did not mention that none of those were lies, or that he'd only been 14. He listened quietly as his dad laid out a series of threats. At the end of it, he just nodded to himself. 

"Okay," he said before hanging up. 

The conversation had left him jumpy and on edge all day. Of all the things he knew for certain, the only one was that his dad always kept his promises. And if he promised that Baby would be dead by Thursday, then Baby had three days to decide what he wanted on his headstone. 

"Baby, go get coffee," Doc said more firmly. 

Baby looked up at him, surprised and frustrated that he'd completely zoned out again. He was normally better about that. 

"Um... No thank you?" Doc was scary, but Baby's Dad was the one who haunted his nightmares. 

The air in the room changed when Baby spoke. "Excuse me, Baby?" Doc demanded. 

"I can't today. Next time." '

"You can't, or you won't?" Baby kept his eyes cast down as Doc walked over to him, each step another threat. Buddy, Darling, and Bats were all watching the scene unfold with quiet terror. Nobody ever denied Doc anything, especially not Baby. 

Doc slapped a handful of money onto the table. "Go get the coffee." He fixed Baby with a gaze filled with quiet rage. "Okay?" 

Baby pocked the money and nodded. "Okay," he said. His voice sounded hoarse, as if he was trying not to cry. Before anybody could say anything about it, Baby had left the room. 

"What was that about?" Darling asked. 

"Who knows?" Doc hit a stack of cash against his hand while he walked back towards the bags of money. "Puberty, maybe." 

"I think your Baby's getting harder to control. Sure you've got a good grip on him?" Bats asked as he dropped down into a chair. 

"He went, didn't he? I've got him under control." 

Baby listened to the Harlem Shuffle as he went, but it was a remix instead of the original. One with a faster beat to match the pounding of his heart in his chest. He didn't dance this time, just marched. While waiting for the coffees to be made, he just bounced on his toes and looked around worriedly. 

With the coffees in hand, he started walking quickly down the street. A vibration in his pocket had him pressing the phone to his ear without even thinking about it. 

"Hey, Baby," his dad said. It made Baby freeze in his place. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you? Who are the coffees for?" Baby started looking around him, trying to find exactly where his dad was. "Don't bother, you can't see me from where you are. But don't you worry, I'm way closer than you'd think." 

Despite himself, Baby looked around more adamantly. He spun in place, his eyes scouring over every pedestrian, every building, every parked and moving car. Nobody looked familiar. 

"How's that ringing in your ears? Still get migraines?"

"Not so much." 

"That's good, very good to hear. When can I see you?"

"Never."

"Well, if I wanted to, I could kill you right now. Look at your chest." Baby recognized the red dot that spelled out his name over and over on his grey shirt. "So let me ask again. When can I see you?" 

"I'll have to check with my boss."

"Doc still got you whipped like a dog? He still calling on the shots for you?"

"Yes."

"I knew it. You're just too fucking stupid to think for yourself, aren't you? Tell me how stupid you are, Baby." 

Just being on the phone with him made Baby revert back to the helpless kid he had been. It had been years, he'd been recovering. Part of him thought that if his dad ever tried to contact him again, he'd be stronger. Strong enough to say "Fuck you, stay away," at least. 

Instead he just mumbled into the phone. "I'm just too fucking stupid to think for myself."

His dad laughed into the phone, and it actually sounded nice for a moment. "Nothing's changed, Baby. How about this? You keep going about your day and I'll let you know when I'm sick of playing this game. Until then, go crawling back to Doc. See if he can help you." 

The line went dead. Baby took two deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Another look his chest and he saw that the red dot was still dancing over his chest. He took off in a run. 

By the time he got back to the warehouse, his face was red and sweaty. The coffees had spilled over his hands, making them burn. He tried to slow his steps, tried to set the coffees down to a slower beat. 

Bats grabbed his shaking hand by the wrist. "Something happen?" he asked. 

"No."

"You sound scared. You scared, Baby?" 

"No."

"Then why're you shaking so bad?" 

Baby shrugged, tried to pull his hand away. All eyes in the room were on him and it was making his skin crawl. Bats tightened his hold on Baby's hand, pulled him down to whisper in his ear. 

"What's scaring the baby?" 

He jerked his hand away and went to go sit in his usual spot. The tense quiet of the room settled for a minute. Darling popped her bubble gum, a loud snap. 

"When something is wrong with my baby..." she sang under her breath. 

"Let him have his temper tantrum," Doc said. Baby scowled but didn't respond. 

When it was time for them to leave, Baby still hadn't moved from his spot. Doc dropped his holdall in front of him, but didn't bother saying another word. 

"Wait, Doc." He stood up, holding all his money. When Doc turned to face him, he held out the bag. That was out of the ordinary. Baby always handed over the money he owed Doc when they were alone in the garage, to stop him from being further isolated from the rest of the group. 

Doc pulled out a single stack of bills, but Baby just shook his head. "You don't want your cut?" 

"No. I just, I, I don't need it." 

His phone started ringing in his pocket. For a brief second, unrestrained fear flashed across his face. Though it was fast, it was impossible to miss. He didn't move to answer it. 

"Why don't you answer your phone, Baby?" Doc asked. It was more of a command than a question. 

"It's not important." 

"Well, I think it is important. Because I gave you that phone so that I could contact you. And nobody else should have that number. Seeing as I'm not the one calling you, it seems pretty suspicious."

The phone kept ringing. Baby didn't move. Doc's scowl deepened as their standoff continued. 

"Who the fuck is calling you, Baby?" 

"Nobody." 

"Answer the phone. Put it on speaker."

Doc dropped the holdall and put his hands in his pockets. He could've been reaching for a gun, or his phone. Both were a threat. Baby answered the phone and hit the speaker button. 

"Hey, Baby. How was the coffee? I just think it's funny that you ordered four black coffees this morning, when the waitress at your favorite diner says that you always take cream and sugar. Makes me wonder who the coffees were for." 

"Nobody you'd know." It was almost true. 

"You still live at apartment 304 in the Suncrest Grove Apartments?" 

Baby closed his eyes, wished he'd died in a car accident during the job. "Yes." 

Buddy's eyes practically popped out of his head. This sounded like a threat. But who had beef with Baby? Sure, people didn't always like him, but he didn't do anything wrong. He was just quiet. 

"Why don't you come on home, son? I picked you up a gift on my way home. I think you're really gonna like it," his dad laughed. 

Baby swallowed hard. "I'll be home soon." 

"Good. And pick me up a pack of Marlboro Reds." The sound of it made Baby's blood tingle in his veins. He always smoked Marlboro Reds when he was in one of his moods. Even to this day the smell of it made Baby feel like hiding under his bed. 

"Yes, sir." Baby hung up and cleared his throat. He made sure not to look at anybody while he tucked his phone back in his pocket. "Excuse me, I've gotta go."

Doc caught him by the elbow when he tried to shoulder past. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go home tonight." 

From his side view, Doc could just barely see Baby's eyes behind his sunglasses. They were wide open, frantic even. He could feel the Baby's muscles twitching under his hand. No wonder he'd acted so strangely today. 

"He always knows where I am. It's only a matter of time." Baby shook him off and closed himself alone in the elevator.

"Doc, what's going on?" Buddy asked. 

"His dad just got released from the big house on good behavior. Apparently there are still some hard feelings. He was always a shitty dad. I thought some time apart would make him move on, but I guess hearing Baby testify against him left a sour taste in his mouth." 

"He testified against his own father?" Bats asked.

"Only after he tried to kill Baby. For the third time. He wouldn't have done it if I hadn't pushed him to in the first place. Fuck." Doc rubbed his eyes. "Fuck. Will you three follow him home? Make sure he's okay." 

"What are we supposed to do if things go bad?" Buddy asked. 

"Kill his dad. Make it look like an accident," Doc said, a look of disbelief on his face. "Why do I have to do your fucking jobs for you?" 

"Hey, Bats? I know you don't like Baby, but just promise that you won't do anything to make this situation any worse for him when we get there," Buddy said as they walked down the dark streets. 

"Why do you think I don't like Baby?"

Darling practically choked. "Are you kidding? It might have something to do with the fact that do nothing but insult him whenever you two work together?"

"Yeah, or maybe how you always threaten to break his wrist every time he accidentally bumps into you?" Buddy added. 

"Or how you told him you were gonna tie him to the hood of his car like in that Mad Max movie," Darling continued. 

"That doesn't mean I don't like him! I'm just trying to keep him on his toes," Bats said. 

Darling and Buddy shared looks before she just rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever your deal is, just be nice alright? He doesn't need you being an asshole too." 

They approach the old apartment complex and crowd around the door. Darling pressed the button labelled "304."

"Yes?" It was Baby's dad, she recognized the voice from the phone call. He was panting slightly, sounding winded and exasperated. 

"Hi, my name's Monica and I'm the landlord. We've been having some noise complaints and my associates and I are gonna have to come up to check things our."

There was silence on the other end for a few minutes. "You're not the fucking landlord, Darling. Tell Doc that the goon squad isn't gonna fix anything tonight. Besides, you shouldn't even being worried about Baby. He's been my baby longer than he's been yours. I know how to take care of him."

"Is he home yet?" she asked. 

There was another stretch of quiet over the intercom. 

"Darling, go home." Baby's voice sounded strained over the phone, as if he was on the verge of tears. 

"Buzz us up, Baby." 

"I can't." 

"Playtime's over. Everybody head on home. It's time for me to put the baby to bed." 

He grabbed Baby by the back of his shirt and dragged him away from the intercom. With one shove, Baby landed hard on the piano bench in his living room. 

"You still play?" his dad asked, tapping the piano with the barrel of his sawed off shotgun. Baby didn't respond. "You'd better be good. After all the years I paid for lessons, you'd better be fucking Mozart. Play me something." 

Without taking his eyes off the gun, Baby cracked his knuckles and started playing. He was banging out some old show tune, one from a recital when he was 11. It was fine, especially considering that the piano had been more furniture than instrument over the past few years. 

The gun dragged down his jaw slowly. "You look so much like me. I bet that fucking hurts, huh? Every time you look in the mirror, all you think about is me. I bet that just eats you up inside." 

Baby played louder, trying to drown out the noise. 

"Why don't you put on a record? Make it something good. It might just be the last one you ever hear." 

With his dad still holding the gun against his face, Baby walked over to the wall of records he'd collected over the years. He tried to focus on picking an album, but the gun felt like it burned his skin.

At the sound of a gunshot, Baby hit the deck. He was half expecting to be dead by the time he collided with the floor. Instead, what he saw was that somebody had blown off the lock on his door. It swung open aggressively, revealing Bats flanked by Buddy and Darling, all with guns loaded and a deadly look in their eyes. 

Baby was yanked up off the floor and dragged into a headlock. His dad's gun pressed against his temple, stretching his neck too far to the side. 

"You all need to go home. This is between me and Baby, the last thing you want to do is get involved." Baby's dad clicked off the safety. "You're only making things worse for him." 

"Baby, do you remember that day on the bridge? When you flipped the Ford Escape and we had to get out and run?" Bats asked. 

He did. They'd been halfway to the other side when some guy decided to be a hero. He'd burst out of his car and grabbed Baby while he ran by, holding him in a similar position. Baby, only 16 at the time, did the only thing he knew how to do. He bit onto the guy's arm as hard as he could and let his body become dead weight. When he slipped down in the hold, Bats had the perfect opportunity to take the guy out. 

Baby got the hint this time. He turned his head and chomped down hard on his Dad's forearm. His legs kicked up into the air, try to create a weight imbalance that would drag them to the ground. 

His dad was stronger than that though. He held them both upright, still using Baby as a shield. Angrily, he tightened his hold on Baby's neck. 

"Listen to me, you little shit. You think they care about you?" he whispered into Baby's ear. "They don't. They just like all the money you make them by driving. Nobody gives a shit about you. Nobody but me. And you threw me in jail. You see the problem with that, don't you?" 

Baby nodded. The words left a physical pain in his chest, but he couldn't stop listening. After all, his dad had a point. Baby had testified against his own dad. And for what? A few bruises? A broken arm? Was that really the type of thing worth ruining their family forever? 

"So you understand that I'm not the bad guy here, don't you? Sometimes your dad has to make decisions you don't like. You did a really, really bad thing, Baby. And as your father, it's my job to punish you. There ain't a thing wrong with that. Is there?" 

Baby shook his head. He could see the other three watching the situation, but nobody dared to move. They couldn't hear what was being said, but they could tell by the look on Baby's face that it was crushing him. He wanted his sunglasses back. 

"So tell your friends to give you their guns." He pushed Baby forwards a bit. He kept Baby positioned in front of him so they couldn't take a shot without potentially hurting the kid. 

"I need your guns," he said. Each weapon was pressed into his hands, and he in turn passed them back to his dad. 

"You're gonna be okay, Baby," Darling whispered. 

"We'll see about that. Everyone take a seat. Baby, why don't you make some dinner. Oh, and grab us a few beers." 

They each sat around the beat up old dining table, crammed together around the small surface. Baby placed four beers around the table before retreating to the kitchen. Buddy watched him putz around behind the island, pulling out a box of mac and cheese. 

They made eye contact briefly. When they did, Baby reached behind him and knocked twice on the bottom of the cupboard. It was so brief that Buddy almost missed it before Baby went back to boiling water. 

"So, you're Baby's dad?" Buddy asked, trying to distract the man sat across from him. 

"Unfortunately. Kid's just like his mom. A fuck-up." 

Baby dropped a plate when he heard that, but just apologized and started cleaning up. From the ground by the fridge, he cast a desperate look to Buddy. He knocked underneath the cabinets again. 

"There's nothing wrong with Baby. He's a good kid," Buddy said.

"No. He's a good driver. There's a reason why he doesn't have any friends." 

Buddy slid his jaw under the table, feeling underneath it curiously. Baby's knocking had to mean something. That's when he felt it. 

There was a gun duct-taped to the underside of the dining room table. 

"Hey, Baby! Why don't you tell them about that gas station robbery that you fucked up by driving right into a pickup?"

That was the last straw. Buddy yanked the gun out of the duct-tape and fired twice across the table. Baby's dad was dead before the second shot. 

"Oh, thank God!" Darling gasped. "Baby, are you okay? Did he hurt you before we got here?" 

Baby was quiet as he placed three bowls of mac and cheese onto the table, next to the untouched beers. He hovered next to the body still seated at the table, looking unsure of himself. Nervously, he set down the bowl of food in front of the body before retreating back to the kitchen. 

The three criminals shared concerned looks, everybody daring another to be the first to do anything. It was Darling who made the first move. 

She joined Baby at the kitchen sink where he was frantically scrubbing at a plate. "Maybe you should sit down?" she said softly, rubbing his shoulder. 

"Hmm? Oh, I've gotta, I've still gotta..." He trailed off and grabbed a broom. 

She grabbed the broom firmly. "Baby, let's get you to Doc, alright? We'll take care of the body." 

That was when he crumpled. He fell to the floor in a heap, his head curled between his knees. He wasn't crying but he looked horrified. 

"I can't go back to Doc. Not after today. No, no, no, he's still mad. I didn't get the coffee, nobody else was supposed to have that number. I broke the rules. Doc's gonna -" He cut himself off with a laugh. "Doc's gonna kill me. You shouldn't have bothered stopping my dad." 

"I'll take care of Baby. You two take care of this mess," Bats said. He squatted on the floor, gently nudging Baby to get his attention. "Let's go, yeah? You want ice cream or something?" 

"No."

"Let's get ice cream, Baby." 

Once Bats got him to his feet, Baby was easy to get to the car. He kept one hand on Baby's shoulder while he guided him down the street. They got into Bats' car, some customized muscle car that Baby would've been itching to take for a ride any other day. 

Despite Baby's lack of enthusiasm, Bats got him a banana split from the Dairy Queen drive through. He picked at it with the plastic spoon. Without his sunglasses, he just looked like some kid. He wasn't the Joy Rider who had mocked cops for years. 

"You know, Baby, my old man used to really knock me around too. Hit me against a wall so hard one day that I've seen stars ever since. I was six."

"You should get that checked out." 

"That's not the point."

"Okay."

"The point is that I didn't deserve it. I was just a kid."

"Right."

"And you're just a kid."

Baby didn't say anything, just kept swirling around his half melted ice cream. The pineapple chunks mixed into the hot fudge as it turned into more of a soup. 

"So you didn't deserve that," Bats continued. 

"It's different." 

Bats stared at him, watched him start to chop up the bananas. "Not really."

"I killed my mom. They were fighting about me. If I hadn't started crying, she wouldn't have gotten mad at him, and then he wouldn't have gotten mad at her. If I had just been a man about it, they wouldn't have gotten in that accident." Bats recognized that tone of voice. It was the sound of someone who had heard a story so many times that they knew exactly how to recite it. 

"Why were you crying?"

"I don't remember."

"You're a bad liar. Why were you crying?" 

Baby chewed his lower lip for a minute. Bats didn't push him to continue, trying to focus on being supportive. He didn't want to make things worse, but the idea of Baby believing everything that man told him made him mad. 

"He shot the cashier at the grocery store," Baby said after a little while. 

"That's a pretty good reason to cry."

Baby just shrugged. 

They pulled up to a nice house with a big metal fence around the perimeter. Bats punched in a key code to let them on to the property. 

"Where are we?" Baby asked. 

"You're gonna stay with me for a few days, alright? Just until this whole thing is figured out." He waited for a bit to see if Baby had anything to say, but he didn't. Not that unusual. 

He grabbed Baby's arm just before he got out of the car. Baby flinched hard at the sudden movement, and Bats pulled away quickly. 

"Look at me, Baby." 

He did. 

"You're a really good kid." 

All he got back was a blank look. When Baby realized he wasn't going to take it back, he just nodded. "Thanks." 

Bats watched him walk into the house. As he stopped the car, he nodded to himself and made an important decision. He was Baby's new dad. No debate.


End file.
